“I've noticed a lot of religious
freedom laws and somewhat institutionalized discrimination laws
happening around the country. What would you as president do to
protect me and my husband from that institutionalized
discrimination?” Todd Calogne, a self-described life-long
Republican, asked.

Cruz suggested that such laws would
protect Calogne and his family.

“When it comes to religious liberty,
religious liberty is something that protects everyone,” Cruz
answered. “We want to be able to live in a world where we don't
have the government dictating our beliefs and how we live. We have a
right to live according to our faith and according to our
conscience.”

Host George Stephanopoulos followed up
by asking Cruz about his support of a constitutional amendment that
would effectively roll back the Supreme Court's 2015 finding that gay
couples have a constitutional right to marry.

“So what would that mean for couples
like Todd and his husband who already are married?” Stephanopoulos
asked.

“I'm a constitutionalist,” Cruz
answered, “and under the Constitution, marriage is left up to
the states. So, if someone wants to change the marriage laws, I
don't think it should be five unelected lawyers down in Washington.”

“We would expect the people in New
York to adopt different laws than perhaps in California or Texas or
Florida,” he added.